->''"IT SEEMS LIKE A LIFETIME AGO — which of course it was, all that and more. For a boy, life on the farm was idyllic, but for the young man I became, that very peace and predictability were stifling, unbearable. I had big dreams, and needed a big place to explore them: the whole wide world.''

->''Near our village of Barrel Arbor, the steamliners touched down and travelled on rails along the Winding Pinion River toward Crown City. Watching them pass in the night, how I prayed to get away . . ."''-->-- ''Caravan'' liner notes

'''''Clockwork Angels''''' is the nineteenth studio album by Music/{{Rush}}, released in 2012. Its basic plot follows the highlights and lowlights taken from the lifetime of an [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] man living in a ClockPunk and SteamPunk inspired alternate universe.

In the first five songs the setting itself is given more focus but is soon overtaken by much more analogous tales with more prominent themes of illusion.

A novelization co-written by Kevin J. Anderson was published in September 2012, accompanied by an audiobook read by drummer Neil Peart. Anderson, a long-time friend of Peart, worked from his storyline for the album and incorporated snippets of Rush lyrics throughout the book. This was joined by a graphic novel in 2014, and a vague Tweet from Anderson that may point to [[TheMovie a movie deal]].

* AllThereInTheManual: Unlike its big brother ''Music/TwentyOneTwelve'', this album virtually requires the bonus story snippets in the liner notes. While it's possible to piece together the story with just the songs, having the novelization or liner notes makes it much easier.* AmbiguouslyBrown: In the graphic novel, Owen is illustrated as looking vaguely Southeast Asian or possibly Polynesian, albeit with somewhat more pale skin than is usual (though still definitely not white, at least not wholly). As he isn't described as being a certain race in the book, this isn't a RaceLift.* AuthorAvatar: A possibly unintentional one. The protagonist seems to share several similarities with Neil: growing up on a farm, going out into the world as a WideEyedIdealist, and eventually having his optimism crushed by a TraumaCongaLine, only to have it restored somewhat near the end. * BadSamaritan: "The Wreckers" is about a ship in a storm coming upon a lighthouse, only for it to lead them crash into rocks so the eponymous group can plunder the wreckage.* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The chorus from the song "Carnies". --> ''How I prayed just to get away\\To carry me anywhere\\Sometimes the angels punish us\\By answering our prayers''* DarkReprise: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVtVC82y8C0 BU2B2]], which dispenses with the heavy rock instrumentation of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mu6-jeydvo BU2B]] in favour of strings, and is all about the belief mentioned in [=BU2B=] failing the protagonist.* EasterEgg: If you look at the cover (the page image) and assume the normal placement of numbers on an analogue clock face, the clock reads 9:12. 9:12 PM is 21:12 when read in 24-hour format.* EpicRocking: To the surprise of no one.* [[DualMeaningChorus Dual Meaning 'Chorus']]: Subtly done. Carnies has two repeatedly repeated sections that change meaning over the course of the song.* FakeOutFadeOut: The title track.* GriefSong: [=BU2B2=] is not explicitly a song spurred by the loss of a human life. The liner notes, however, mention that it is (or is analogous to) an internal monologue based upon all the things that the protagonist has lost, a concept that could be interpreted liberally enough to include such a loss.* LoudnessWar: It's not as bad an example as ''Music/VaporTrails'', but this album's production has nonetheless received some criticism for falling into this trope. It's arguably the album's only major flaw.* LovingAShadow: "Halo Effect" is about when the album's protagonist realizes he's been doing this repeatedly.* MinisculeRocking: To the surprise of everyone. [=BU2B2=] clocks in at a very short 1:27.* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Ranging from 2 ("Halo Effect") to 8 ("[=BU2B=]").* MoodWhiplash: Due in part to the borderline GenreRoulette track list.* NoNameGiven: On the album, the main character is never named, and the fandom referred to him as "The Protagonist." The novel named him Owen, and it stuck.* NonAppearingTitle: "The Anarchist", "Carnies", "Halo Effect", "The Wreckers". Taken very literally, also "The Garden" (though it refers to "''a'' garden" many times) and "[=BU2B=]" (it stands for "Brought Up to Believe", a line that ''does'' appear many times in this song).* OneWordTitle: "Caravan" and "Carnies".* ShoutOut: To ''Literature/{{Candide}}'', in the final track's notes.** The novelization also includes several subtle and not-so-subtle Rush references by plugging in lyrics, song titles, and band member references. (Three clowns Owen meets at the carnival are called [[spoiler: Deke, Leke, and Peke. Rush's nicknames are Dirk (Geddy), Lerxst (Alex), and Pratt (Neil).]] Doesn't help that the audiobook version is read by Neil himself. Something about Neil reading these references in his [[MostWonderfulSound deep, booming voice]] is adorable.* TitleTrack: "Clockwork Angels"* WanderlustSong: "Caravan" is the protagonist finally acting upon wanderlust, and Owen's acting upon this is what kicks off the plot of the novel.* VillainSong: "The Anarchist", sung from the viewpoint of a villain.